Description

Beautiful area set in the meadows in the Jemez mountains, Las Conchas is one of the more popular summer sport climbing areas within 2 hrs of ABQ. Because of the elevation, summer days are often cool enough to be pleasant. Many of the crags in the area are situated along the East Fork of the Jemez River, making the climbing environment that much more enjoyable.

Getting There

From Albuquerque, take I-25 North to Bernalillo and exit at highway 550 (exit #242, DON'T miss this exit, the next exit does not come for many miles). Follow 550 to San Ysidro and head North on state road 4 for about 36 miles. You will drive past picturesque Jemez Springs, Battleship Rock, the small community of La Cueva, just beyond Las Conchas camping area to the second pull out by a well-traveled trail and meadow on your left. From Los Alamos or Santa Fe (or from the north), it is faster to reach the same area by taking NM-4 into the Jemez near Bandelier NP, passing the Valle Grande meadow (watch for elk) and reaching the same meadow.

The obvious cliff seen through the meadow on the north side of the road is Cattle Call Wall Area. Most of the other cliffs are downstream, following a trail that begins on the west side of the creek.

From the start of Double-Blind Study use a variety of hueco holds through a V6/7 sequence to gain the face at the 1st bolt. Clip the 2nd bolt before venturing through a balancey sequence of slopers, pinches and less-than-positive holds on your way to the crux. Make a body-length left hand move out to a decent pinch on the arete from a poor one-pad half-moon pocket with the right (V8). Stay composed through a blind slap to a slopey sidepull jug left of the arete, from which you clip the 3rd and last b...[more]Browse More Classics in NM

Because of the multi-use nature of this area, there's a huge problem with human waste disposal in the area. It's super pitiful to hike behind any of the climbing walls only to find huge piles of unburied dookers complete with toilet paper dressing.

This past weekend there was a big load sitting at the base of Hollywood Tim that was no doubt put in place by a non-climber. For a long while I've questioned why there isn't a porta-potty at the main parking area for Las Conchas. Sure, there's a permanent toilet just up the road towards the Caldera but people aren't likely to make the short walk or drive up there to take care of business.

This morning I attempted to contact the Jemez Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest at 575-829-3535 but got no answer. When I called the main SFNF office in Santa Fe they told me I'd have to speak with the Jemez Ranger district folks about this. If you get a chance to call the Jemez Ranger district and politely suggest a porta-potty, please do. I've never looked into how much it would cost to have a porta-potty setup somewhere and dumped regularly but I'd be happy to donate funds to the cause if it wasn't terribly expensive.

The Jemez Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest is considering camping restrictions in the East Fork Jemez Wild and Scenic River Corridor. This includes the area between Las Conchas and Battleship Rock. There were a couple public meetings about this last year to help the Forest Service design a proposal... and now that proposal is out and the Forest Service is looking for comments on it from users like YOU.

I have a scoping letter with all of the details on the proposed action, which I can send via post or e-mail. If interested, please e-mail me with your information: mdechter@fs.fed.us. Thanks!

I read the mention of packing out waste and thought id share a product I use. Its called a Biffy Bag and it is far superior to the Wag Bag and Reststop systems. It does not require a bucket or commode and comes with everything you need in a little package. It has a triple sealed puncture proof containment bag which prevents all odor and chance of leaking. WONDERFUL product I recommend to everyone. The rammifications of human waste are seriously effecting these beautiful areas we love so much so I ask everyone to address this matter more seriously.

Noticed two new routes today on Gateway Rock, the one on the far right was excellent, what's the grade on these?

The far right route is Forest, a former gear route that was recently retro-bolted. The other newer, short route is Unknown 5.7. I don't know who put up the routes but I think it was the same persons based on the identical hardware.

I'll be in the area in a couple days, and figured I'd get a little information about the crag to get ready: 1) How many quickdraws do I need for the climbs? 2) Top rope friendly? 3) I'll be with some beginning climbers; what's a good wall to take them to?

Due to the Thompson Ridge fire, most of the Las Conchas area is closed until Oct. 1, 2013. The Cattle Call Wall Area is apparently open but that's it. For routes here, 10 quickdraws is more than enough and some routes can be set as TRs if you bring static line to tie off from trees at the top--the bolt anchors aren't accessible from the top.

No camping at las conchas right now. Without the restrictions, you'd be normally allowed to camp about a mile downstream, but not currently. Camping is open in jemez springs, unless you want undeveloped spots.

will be here in the next few days, what's the most recent word of camping in Las Conchas?

A couple of years ago (at least) the forest service closed all camping along the river at Las Conchas in the first 1.6 miles (or so, maybe further) from the highway. So effectively no camping. But there are forest service campgrounds not too far away. Look for Redondo Campground or San Antonio Campgrounds to the west a number of miles.